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| Dr. Hassan Isamil Yusuf, the former health minister of Somaliland |
It's regrettable to learn that the Somali federal government includes its total number of infected cases and deaths due to the Coronavirus with those found in the Republic of Somaliland. It's like their total tally including those affected in Nigeria or Tanzania. It's absurd.
For scientific statistical analysis it would be utterly wrong to adulterate the data and use it to your advantage. The Minster of health of the federal government of Somalia is the widow of my late friend and college mate, Dr Abdillahi Mohamed Ahmed. Allah ha u naxariistee.
I was not expecting Minister Fowsiya to disrespectfully contradict what her late husband stood for.
Although I am very much aware that this is a very attractive money spinning project for the federal government to attract more aid, human lives are at stake and human lives matter. It's a shameful endeavour and has to be stopped immediately.
The honest and transparent daily briefings of Somaliland's Ministry of Health Development surely provides you with the nourishment you required. Isn't it shameful to take the case numbers from the media as you have no jurisdiction over Somaliland.
-Covid -19 Somaliland : A personal view
I must admit that the works of the National task force committee, headed by the Vice President, is highly commendable thus far. I should also praise the activities and actions taken by the Ministry of Health Development (MOHD) through its Preparedness and Response unit supported by all its other departments.
It's however important to point out that Somalis DO NOT TAKE SERIOUSLY the public awareness campaigns emanating from the Ministry of Health Development. If the public were not to heed these important messages FROM MOHD, the Coronavirus would thrive in our land with catastrophic consequences.
The socio-cultural and behavioural practices of our society would be at play. Social distancing,
stay at home, home isolation if presenting signs &symptoms, avoiding crowds or congregations would be laughable at best and offensive at worst.
We may have to make serious decisions which might be unpopular with the public but would perhaps save many lives.
We're facing a major pandemic and if we do not take decisive but unpopular actions, we would be doomed. Major world powers with much better health systems have failed to curb the pandemic. We will drop like flies, God forbid, as we would not be able to cope if it gets a firm hold in our land.
It's my hope that more stringent measures would have to be put in place to avert a catastrophe.
Covid -19 in Somaliland.
A personal appeal to the international community
The Covid-19 statistics remains the lowest in the Horn of Africa in terms of confimed infected cases as well as deaths due to it. Somaliland has thus far coped with the pandemic with minimum assistance from the outside world.
It's however important to point out that it looks that the virus has established a firm grip in the country and that community spread is likely to have already taken place.
Our health care workers are doing a magnificent job and trying to do whatever they possibly can in an effort to cope with the pandemic.
If current trends prevail, our health care system will definitely be overwhelmed within a short period of time with the loss of many lives of our citizens if assistance from the international community is not provided immediately.
The health care systems of some of the most powerful industrialised nations of the 1st world suh as the USA, UK, Italy ,France and others have been dwarfed by the pandemic. You could imagine what it could do to a third world country which is yet to be recognised by the international community.
Please take note that Somaliland is not part of Somalia and should be dealt with as a separate sovereign state. Somalia is adamant to keep Somaliland as a hostage internationally as it still claims to be part of its federal government after almost thirty years of reclaiming our independence from the ill fated union with Somaliland.
I would like to appeal to the international community and the world powers to offer their assistance to Somaliland before the situation gets out of hand.
Hassan Ismail Yusuf former minister of Somaliland ministry of health development.
Published with permission from my former school mate Dr. Hassan Ismail Yusuf
